Arch-supporter.



F. W. KRECH 7&2 R. C. HANSEN.

ARCH SUPPQRTER. 4APPLIOAEIIOH FILED JAN. 3. 1910. 4

Patented Apr. 4, 19H

@www

' f Memes.' M

UNITED sTnTEsN 4IPATENT oEEICE.

mnEDEnICKW. KRECH AND RENE c. HANSEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID KRECH -AssIeNoR To ABRAHAM I.. THOMAS, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs.

ARCH-SUPPORTER.

' esem .`tions Or'layers of' ecreasing area. upwardly and the periphery of Ieach within that ot' l@ ltheronebelow, vthe lowermost layer Yforming waisortH-o insole .for engaging with the shoe '.tofhold'the structure in place and to extend .20/upwardly a distance atthe inner side of the Lfoot adjacent the bones and ligaments to be supported; to so skive or pare otl' the 'ends of the layers that the structure forms a smooth enga 'ng surface for the foot; to so farrange the ayers'that the uppermost and smallest layer thereof will be vbelow and Vpartly at the side of the principal or what mayabecalled the key bone of the arch to be sup orted, the other layers extending .x gradua ly toward the outside of the lowermost member and gradually upwardly toward the inner edge of the lowerrnost mem- .ber to `thus form a to smooth arch surface l which when engaged y the foot will cause f5' thel bones to assume their correct positions to maintain the foot arch; to yieldingly fcurethe la ers together along only a small area slight y to the inside'of the centers of ,-.t.helayers so that the securing fastening area 1Q-will be substantially adjacent the main bone l tobesuppo'rted and so that the layers will be "free for relative rotational play to be able Pto follow the muscular movement of the foot and. the various positions thereof thus elimi- `451 ynating friction on the foot and allowing thel supporter to be worn with greater ease and comfort; and in general to provide an improved arch supporter which will hold the.

oot4 parts in placev without harmful preso, sure to maintain proper arch conditions and M whichl will adapt itself to the foot irrimedi- `atei upon insertion in the shoe.

. T e various features of construction and barra ement brouxgli in our invention are clearly t out '1n thefollowing specification Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed January 3, 1910. Serial No. 536,019.

.plan view of the arch supporter, Fig. 3 is a sectional view on plane 3 3, Fig. 2, and Fig. l 1s a sectional view on plane 4-Ll, Fig. 2.

The structure comprlses a plurahty of oblong laminations or layers, a, '6, c, d, e, etc.

of any number. The lowermost o1" main layer u. has the heel part I1, for fitting in the heel of the shoe, its outer edge o conforming with the outer wall of the shoe, and its inner edge curving gradually upwardly to form a wing w for engaging the inner wall of the shoe. The other layers b, e, (l, e, and so on, are of decreasing area, the periphery of each layer being within that of the preceding layer, as shown. Flach of these layers has also a wing w curving upwardly from ils inner edge, Athe conter of the tier of layers being preferably at a point directly adjacent the main bone of the arch to be supported, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At this center the various layers are yieldingly connected together along only a small area so that they will be free for relative rotational play to follow the various ymovements of the foot. lhe layers can be secured together in any suitable manner, a preferable way being by sewing, as by cross stitches s. The layers are cut from any resilient and pliable material and vpreferably of leather, and are arranged with their smooth faces up, and their lower edges are skived, as best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the peripheral edges of each layer will lic close to the other layer to form an unbroken smooth top surface when the foot is applied thereto.

The exact location of the axis .of rotation of the members is Very important. 'lhe axis preferably extends diagonally and. through the layers approximately at the bases of the wings lw thereof and approximately centrally of their length. The various layers will thcn be substantially at right angles to their rotational axis, as best shown in Figv, so that the axial center of the uppermost layer will be adjacent that Abone of the arch which has a tendency to fall downwardly and toward the innerside of the foot.

The layers arranged as described and havon top and ately after ing` their edges4 .skiredwll give the proper arch surface whose transverse direction is shown in Fig. 3 and whose longitudinal direction is best shown in Fig. 4:. This entire freedom of the layers enables the supporter to Hex and to have relative rotational play to adapt itself to all the movementsl of the foot without causing any frictionagainst the foot, the entire friction taking place. between the various layers, and this friction can be practically eliminated by the application of talcnni powder or other material between the layers. The great pliability and freedom for relative movement of the layers enables the supporter to he worn with perfect ease and comfort almost immediinsertion in the shoe, and it will adapt itself intimately to the foot and to the shoe. At the same time the supporter is indestructible and 4will support the weight of the heaviest person indefinitely. l

In the form shown in Figs. 2 and ithe front part. of the main layer a. extends only to the ball of .thet'oot, but this endcan he lengthened to extend to the front of the shoe, as shown in Fig. l, the supporter then forining al sort of insole' for the shoe` with the arch supporting'attachment thereon. Fig. 1 also shows the location of the rotaiional center of the layers with reference to the foot.

As shown in F ig. 3, a. band g caube provided for holdingvthe lsupporter in proper position on the foot., and this band can be a separate affair, as shown, to be applied at will to the supporter, or it can be permanently 'secured thereto. rlhe band prefer-v ably has inserted thereina section l' of elasf tic material.

We do not desire to be limited to the precise construction, arrangement and mate' rial which we have described, as other constructions and arrangements are .possible and other materials could be used which would still come within the scope of our invention. i

We, therefore, desire to secure the following claims by Letters Patent: i 1. An arch supporter comprising a plurality of layers of viexible and pliable nonmetallic lmaterial and of graduating size with thesmallest on top, and means yieldingly connecting said layers together and along only a smallv area near the centers thereof without disturbing theindividual' pliability of the layers and to allow relative rotational play of the layers.'

2. An arch supporter comprising a plurality offlexible and pliable non-metallic layers of ,fraduatingl size -witlrthe smallest the periphery of each layer being entirely within the periphery of the next lower layer, and means yieldingly 4connecting the layers together and along only a small area positioned to engage the pivotal arch when said connection allowlng relative rocenter of the foot arch when the supporter is applied in a shoe, such yielding connection in no way disturbing the individual pliability ot' the layers and allowing relative rotational play of the layers over each other.

3. An arch supporter built upof a tier of flexible and pliable non-metallic layers of similar form but of graduating size with the smallest on top and each concaved transversely, said layers being yieldingly vconnectedtogether and along only a small area to allow relative rotational play thereof, said area being in position to engage at the center and side of the foot arch when the s'upporter is appliedto the shoe, .and the outer ends of the layers being skived Whereby said layers engage to form an unbroken smooth arched engagingsurface of concave transverse curvature and convex longitudinal curvature.

4. An arch supporter comprising a main integral flexible and pliable non-metallic layer having a body part for engaging the sole of the shoe and a wing part curving upwardly from the inside of the body part tov engage the side of the shoe adjacentl` the foot arch, and a plurality of flexible and pliable auxiliary non-metallic layers arranged on y said main layer one above the other and decreasing in size with the smallest on top, each auxiliary layer having a base partand a wing part disposed respectively above the base part and the wing part of the" main layer, all saidlayers being yielding'ly connected together and along only a single small area at substantially the junctions between the base parts and the wing parts to assume a position adjacent the main bone of the foot the foot is applied to the supporter, tational play of the layers to followl the movements of the foot.

5. An arch supporter comprising a lmain integral flexible and pliable non-metallic layer havinga body part for engaging the sole of the shoe and a wing part4 curving upwardly from the inside of the body part to engage the side of the shoe adjacent the foot arch, and a plurality of iiexible and pliable auxiliary non-'metallic layers arranged on said main-layer one above the other and decreasing in size with the smallest on top,e each auxiliary layer having a basel part and a wing part disposed respectively above the base part and the wing part 'of the main layer,- all .said layers being yieldingly connected together and along only a single small area at substantially the junctions between thenbase parts and the wing parts to assume a position adjacent the main bone of the foot arch when the foot is applied to the supporter, said conf. ncciion allowing relative rotational play of. the layers to follow the movements. of the foot, the periphery of each layer being enlongitudinal line and layer and theedges of the layersl being skived whereby said layers may engage closely together to form a smooth arched engaging surface of concave transverse curvature and convex longitudinal curvature.

6. An arch supporter comprising a plurality of integral layers of pliable nonmetallic material bent at `one side along a common longitudinal line and curved 1 p- Wardly to form side and base parts and connected yieldingly together at an' approxi- 'mately' longitudinally central single small area and 1n the plane of the bending line, said single yielding connection allowing free relative rotational play of the layers.

7. An arch supporter rality` of integral layers of pliable nonmetallie terial bent at one side along a common ongitudinal line and curved upwardly to 'form side and base parts and cnnected yieldingly together at an approximately longitudinally central single small area and in the plane of the bending line, said single yielding connection allowing free relative rotational play o the layers, said layers being of the same general form but of graduatedsize, the periphery of each layer being entirely within the periphery .of the next: lower layer.

' 8. An arch supporter comprising a'plur`ality of' integral layers of pliable non-metallic material bent at one side along a common curved upwardly to ilorm side and base parts and connected yieldin'gly together' at an approximately longitudinally central single small area and in comprising a pluthe plane of the bending line, yielding connection allowing free relative rotational play of the layers, said layers being of the same general form but of graduated size, the periphery (of each layer being entirely within the periphery of the next lower layer, and the ends of the layers being skived so that the peripheral edge ot' one layer may engage ultimately with the surface of the next layer to form a smooth unbroken engaging surface for the tool. v

9. An arch supporter comprising a plurality of integral layers of pliable nonmetallie material bent at one side along a common longitudinal line and curved upwardly toform base and side parts, a short longitudinal line'of stitching through the Mlayers at the bends thereof, and a short through the layers ap-` liue of st'tching proximately midway between the longitudinal ends, said stitehings crossingA each other and being the sole means connecting said layers together, said stitching having suilicient give to allow tional play of the layers to follow the movements of the foot.

ln witness hereof,l we hereunto subscribe Iour names this 27th day ofDecemberQA. D.,

Witnesses u l CHARLES J. SCHMIDT, NELLIE B. DEARBORN.

said single v eo free relative rota- 

